Lehigh University
Army
Bliss' no-hitter carries Lehigh to split at Army
4/11/2010 5:00:00 PM | Softball
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WEST POINT, N.Y. – Freshman Rebecca Bliss tossed a no-hitter as Lehigh avenged a game one loss to down Army 8-0 in five innings in to earn a split of Sunday’s doubleheader and the four-game series at the Army Softball Complex. Sophomore Jen Colquhoun and freshman Liz Lucas each went 2-for-3 with two RBI in the nightcap as Lehigh bounced back from an 8-2 setback to the Black Knights in game one. With the split Lehigh moves to 21-11 overall and 5-3 in the Patriot League. The Mountain Hawks are one game behind Army (18-14 overall, 6-2 Patriot League) after two weekends of league play.
“We played much better in the second game today,” explained Lehigh head coach Fran Troyan. “We made a couple mental mistakes in game one which seemed to get us flustered and allowed Army to take the lead. We were never able to rebound. In between games we did a nice job refocusing and obviously we were much better out there in game two.”
Bliss moved to 6-4 on the season with her first career shutout. The freshman right hander walked Tiffany Held in the first and Jennae Tomlinson in the third but those were the only base runners for Army in game two. Bliss finished with two strikeouts and was helped out by several outstanding defensive plays by Lehigh on the infield.
“There’s an adjustment period for many freshmen, especially pitchers,” said Troyan. “Becca’s starting to get better and better we’re going to be relying on her a lot more as we move forward.”
Colquhoun put Lehigh ahead in game two with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the first inning. Lehigh, the designated home team in Sunday’s doubleheaders, added to its lead with a two-out RBI infield single by freshman Rosie Roessel that scored sophomore Tenley Halaquist.
The Mountain Hawks added three more runs in the third inning to take a commanding 6-0 lead. Junior Julie Fernandez extended her hitting streak to 23 games with a one-out double. Colquhoun then doubled to right center to score pinch-runner Kristen Mitchell and Lucas followed with a single off the base of the centerfield fence to score Colquhoun. A double by senior Brooke Lewis moved runners to second and third, with Lucas coming home to score on a RBI ground out by junior Carly Potock.
Lucas completed a strong offensive weekend by leading off the bottom of the fifth with a home run to left field, her third of the season. Halaquist added a two-out double to center and came around to score when Roessel reached on an error. Roessel then stole second, advanced to third on a bloop single by sophomore Audra Wood, and scored the game-ending run on a single to deep left field by junior Alex Cueva.
Army’s Shawna Bleyl (6-4), who dominated Lehigh with six innings of scoreless relief in game one, took the loss allowing five runs on eight hits in 2.1 innings of work.
“We made some adjustments,” said Troyan. “We finally started to have success against Bleyl which allowed us to gain confidence. After losing to her in the first game we were glad to see her again as our success gave our hitters confidence for the next time we face her."
In Sunday’s opener Army went in front 2-0 in the top of the first on a two-out two-run double by Reanna Johnson, after a botched forced play by Lehigh kept the inning alive. The Mountain Hawks answered in the bottom of the first on a solo home run by Fernandez, her first of the year, and a two-out RBI single by Lucas.
The Black Knights regained the lead in the top of the second when Tomlinson reached on an error, allowing Jen Parsons to score. Army went on to tack on five more runs, on RBI doubles from Alexis AuBuchon and Alex Reynolds in the third inning, Erin McClain in the fourth, a second RBI double from Johnson in the sixth, and a run-scoring single by Jessica Garcia in the sixth.
In the circle Bleyl relieved Jessi Muckelroy after one inning and limited Lehigh to just four hits to earn her second win in as many days against the Mountain Hawks. AuBuchon led the Black Knights with three hits while Johnson drove in three runs.
For Lehigh, senior Tiffany Curtis allowed six runs (three earned) on six hits in four innings of work as she falls to 12-5. Curtis struck out four and walked four. Junior Bri Gaumer pitched the final three innings allowing two runs on six hits.
The Mountain Hawks will continue their 12-game road trip on Wednesday when they travel to West Long Branch, N.J. to take on Monmouth. First pitch for game one is set for 3 p.m.
Lehigh - Army Post-Game Extra
